Painful Truth
by InPerfectSilence
Summary: AU. A secret academy, home of the 'Smash Pros'. Why was Sam sent there? What about the mysterious limo driver? And just what secrets are these people hiding?  Slow updates. Not necessarily mentioned pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**Heya, Saucey here! Sooorrryyyy that I couldn't get this up fast, seeing as I had this idea for a while, but my laptop got banned and it was sad. :(**

**Anyway, this story is heaps darker than _Reborn_, so be warned. There will be violence. There will be blood. There will be slightly crazy people because this is written by a slightly crazy person. I'm not entirely sure of the detailed plot yet... That isn't good, is it?**

**The pros mentioned in this chapter and beyond are the top tier characters and Ike and Zelda and the original . Coolies.**

**Thanks to all those who read my other story, and don't expect frequent updates!**

**Enjoy!**

**Samus: You forgot the disclaimer. Cause you don't own SSBB or Nintendo.**

**...**

Sam sat in her room, waiting. She had just been grounded and sent to her room to await further punishment. All because of a slight detour after school. Seriously, she had only gone to the arena for one half-hour match. Even if it was delayed a little… and orchestra was boring anyway. It's not like she needed to go. So Sam sat, listening at the door, to see if her parents were in a bad mood or a _really_ bad mood. Her thoughts drifted off into space. She thought about the man at the arena. "I'll pay for her." He had said to the clerk after some guys had stolen her match. He seemed so familiar too…

Sam then knew where she knew him. He was one of the pros. The best of the best. Of course! Spiky purple hair, giant sword, tattered cape. He was Ike, one of the lead tier characters! He came from Smash mansion along with other pros like Zelda, Snake and Pit. Sam wanted to be just like them one day.

"SAM!"

Oh, boy. Here comes the punishment.

"Yeah, I know, I shouldn't have gone to the arena after school, Dad."

"You bet you shouldn't have. We have to pay for that band of yours, you know. What's so good about bashing people up, anyway?"

Sam sighed. "You can't actually feel it, you know. And it's fun!"

Her dad raised an eyebrow. "Well, I have some news for you. You just got this letter today."

Sam grabbed the letter off her dad and read it.

TO: SAMANTHA ARAHNA

SUBJECT: AN INVITATION

MESSAGE

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED AS A STUDENT FOR SMASH MANSION.

WE WILL ORGANISE A PICKUP IN TWO DAYS TIME. YOU WILL NOT NEED TO BRING ANYTHING, ALL SUPPLIES WILL BE PROVIDED. THE MANSION WILL KEEP YOU UNTIL TRAINING IS OVER. ACCOMODATION IS PROVIDED. BE OUTSIDE YOUR HOUSE AT 8AM SHARP. DO NOT BE ALARMED AT THE DRIVER OF YOUR VEHICLE. IT IS PERFECTLY SAFE.

THE ASSOSIATES AT SMASH MANSION.

Sam told her dad that she was selected as a student at an academy. Of course, she didn't mention what for. Her dad would've been furious.

When her dad left the room, Sam practically touched the roof.

"Smash Academy! Oh my God oh my God OH MY GOD!" she squealed.

You see, there are these games that Sam likes to play. You have an 'avatar' which then beats people up. Pretty basic, pretty simple. Insanely popular with the teens. Like an improved laser tag game.

"My Avatar's even on here too!"

And so there was, at the bottom of the page. A girl with blonde hair and a gun in one hand.

"This is going to be so GREAT! Ike's even there too!"

And so, the blondie packed and got ready for the big day. What would be coming next might even make _you_ squirm.

...

Sam stood in front of her two-storey house, scanning the horizon for any signs of a limo. Of course, she had told all her friends about it. With her, she had a phone, though that was hidden in her pocket, and nothing else.

"Good luck, sweetie!" Her mum had said.

"Have a great time!" It was like they didn't even care that she was going.

_Oh well, all the more reason to go._

The limo drew up into the driveway. It wasn't as long as Sam thought it might be, but it was fancy enough. The window rolled down and a voice said,

"Are you ready to go?"

Sam nodded and walked over to the passenger door, opening it and taking a seat inside. It was relatively comfortable. The driver, however, was strange. He was a very well toned man with a helmet on that made his eyes seem like pinpricks of white. He saluted and said simply,

"Let's rock."

The limo sped down the road as if speed limits didn't exist. Sam almost felt like she would fall out of her seat any minute. They zoomed past parked cars and nearly had an accident at an intersection. At last, the driver ran right over a barrier and slowed down a little. He turned and said,

"So, what's your name?"

Sam replied, "It's Sam." Then she thought a little bit. "Hey, are you a smash pro too?"

The driver nodded. "One of the twelve. Captain Falcon."

Sam nearly jumped out of her seat. Two pros in one day! First, it was Ike, who _payed for her admission_. That, and beat up the guys that made her late. And now, Captain Falcon, one of the original Smash Bros, who was driving her to Smash Academy, of all places! The best academy in the world! Sam had to restrain herself from emitting a high-pitched fangirl scream.

Before she knew it, C. Falcon had pulled up into a large, white and spotless building. He escorted her to the gigantic doorway, and let her on her own.

"Now, you stay on this side of the mansion, O.K? The parts with locked doors are officially off-limits."

Sam, of course, ran up and down the white corridors, squealing like a rabid fangirl in a pit full of sexy videogame characters. After all, who wouldn't?

After about 10 minutes of squealing, Sam finally calmed down to a degree where she could think in a logical and orderly manner.

"…"

"LET'S GO SEE THE PROS!" She screamed again and regained her hyper mood.

…...

Ike stretched his hands above his head. Apparently a newbie was invited to this place.

Huh, that's funny. N00bs aren't allowed in here…

Ike walked around the corner, just in time to CRASH! Into Sam, who was subsequently rushing around the same corner in the opposite direction.

CRASH!

"Hey, watch it…" Ike looked up at the very hyper young teen bouncing up and down in front of him.

"Hey, do I know you…?"

"HELL YEAH!" She said. "I'm Sam. My avatar's called Samus…"

Ike recalled a name like that. "Oh, yeah, from the central hub, right? I saved your ass up there didn't I?"

"HELL YEAH! Your Ike, and I'm Sam! Yippee!"

"Uh, OK," Ike began to move back a few paces. "You can, uh, follow me then."

"HELL YEAH!"

...

Sam jumped up and down on the spot as she waited for Ike to come back into the lounge with the other pros. It was so exciting. She jumped up when Ike finally came in.

"Hey, Sam. Actually, we have to call you by your alias in-game, so is Samus alright with you?"

Sam responded with a nod.

"Good. I assume you recognise these faces?"

Did Samus ever! "HELL YEAH!"

"Snake, the tactical assassin." She stood in front of said man, who blinked a few times in confusion.

"Zelda, the magic-using, transforming magical transforming person!"

"Nana and Popo, the inseparable duo!"

"Marth, the sword-wielding blinding fast swordsman!"

"Diddy, the sneaky trickster!" Diddy grinned sheepishly.

"Falco, the smooth and ranged airman!" Falco raised an eyebrow at this comment.

When Samus got to the end of the line, she squealed a little.

"Meta-knight, the top tier character! Fast and deadly! Ever so awesome!" Meta-knight face palmed.

Ike raised his eyebrows. She sure sounded like a fangirl to him.

"OK, _Samus_, you came just in time to watch our daily training. Would you care to join us?"

Samus jumped up and fist pumped in the air.

"HELL YEAH!"

...

Diddy ducked under Falco's blaster fire, shooting some bullets of his own. Falco shot a particularly close one, the laser barely missing Diddy's mouse-brown hair. He grinned and chucked a pitfall at Falco, who inevitably fell in.

"Heh heh, Falco, looks like I got ya!" He grinned before blasting his gun in his face, resulting in Falco's dematerialisation.

Samus looked on with glee. This was the best fight she had seen in ages! It was even better than the one where Ike beat up those guys… wait, that wasn't a virtuabattle.

Falco rematerialised in the portal. He shook his blue hair and sighed.

"Ah well, you can't win every time."

He sat down beside Samus to watch the rest of the game.

Ike looked around nervously. Someone was chasing him but he couldn't work out who. He turned around just in time to send Zelda flying. She landed on the ground with a thud and dematerialised. Ike gloated over his victory.

Zelda rematerialised in the portal as Falco had done. She wiped her brow and came to stand behind the couch, her dress perfect and unmarked by the attack Ike had given her. Falco congratulated her. Samus changed the channel to view someone else. Marth soon followed, brushing his hair out of his eyes as he sat next to Samus.

Snake was in the dark, creeping up behind Diddy. His suit was perfect for camouflage in the shadows. He pulled out a grenade and threw it a little bit behind Diddy. Diddy heard the clink but didn't turn around in time and was thrust into the wall by the force of the explosion. He picked himself up and shot a few bullets in Snakes direction, all of them missing. Snake readied a missile launcher, waiting till Diddy was in his sights before a shape dropped on him, making him drop his weapon. A sword went _slash, slash, slash_ and Snake dematerialised. Meta-knight stood up and brushed his hair away from his helmet that he always wore. He dashed towards Diddy next, spinning around so fast that he became a living drill. Diddy was next to lose.

Diddy huffed a little as he came out of the portal. His mouse brown hair was dishevelled and his shirt was untidy, but he smiled as he made his way to the TV to look at how the others were faring. Snake shook his hand in respect.

Ike looked around a corner, then darted to a nearby shadow. He readied his weapon and puffed a little, his breath making fog. Meta dropped on him as he had done with Snake, but Ike was ready. He pushed Meta off of him. He rushed in for the attack but Meta flew over him with his great wings and slashed at Ike's head. Ike fell to his knees. Meta ran for the kill and thrust his sword through Ike, causing him to disappear.

Ike appeared in the portal before Meta-knight. He congratulated all of the pros before leading Samus out of the room for something to eat. "All that fighting really does its toll on you." He had said.

Samus couldn't help but smile as she sat at the table. Next to her was Ike. Across from her was Diddy, the brown-haired, very short but acrobatic trickster. Next to him was Nana and Popo, the two twins that were quite literally very icy. There was also Falco, the blue haired, gun holstering man who had a knack for machinery and Marth, the long haired swordsman. On the other side of the table sat Zelda, the pointed eared magic user, Meta-knight, the Oh-so-mysterious, masked winged swordsman and Snake, the man with the guns.

Sam's attention was drawn back to reality. She wondered how it was possible for Meta to have wings outside the arena.

"Ike…" She asked hesitantly. "Well, how do you, you know, keep your avatar out of the arena?"

Ike laughed. Sam looked at the others, irritated. They were all chuckling too.

"What's so funny?" She demanded. All the pros looked at her. They looked at each other as if to say, 'who should tell?'. Finally, Ike dragged her away from the table and into the lounge room. He looked at her intently. Sam couldn't look away. Ike spoke.

"I think you need to know this if you are to live here." Sam's eyes widened. "You see, for different reasons, we are… actually like this. This whole place was a sort of experimentation plant. Look at this."

Ike pulled back his sleeve to show a robotic arm.

"I was testing battle, back when it was still being developed… And I had an… accident."

Ike covered his arm over again.

"Master granted me an artificial arm so I could still fight. Then we made the avatars so we wouldn't get hurt."

Ike gestured to Snake.

"Snake here was blinded in an accident involving items, and now he has artificial eyes so he can see. Even better than normal." Ike admitted.

"Zelda here volunteered to be an experiment. They inbuilt little microbes into her brain so she could have her powers. Falco was the same, although I think it had something to do with a dept to pay." Ike shot a glance at Falco, who shrugged.

"I was enhanced like Zelda, but physically." He explained.

Ike whispered, "But not mentally." Samus snickered.

Marth bowed a little before speaking. "I was given this." He held up his arm, which seemed to make a sword appear from nothing. "Only I can wield it, because it is a part of me." The sword disappeared again.

Diddy stepped forward. "I worked my way to the top and was offered a place here. They wanted some sort of human/animal fusion, so I volunteered. I'm pretty sure it was a monkey, but at least I'm a pro now!" Diddy grinned as he wagged his monkey tail a little.

Nana and Popo looked at each other, then Popo nodded.

"We were twins, but we didn't know that until Master intervened. We were grateful, and accepted his training that he offered. To match up to the other pros, we were offered a gift. With an enhancer of some kind they made our bodies entirely resistant to cold and we can even fight with ice ourselves."

Ike looked to Meta-knight, who grunted. Ike went on to explain.

"Meta-knight hardly talks, so we don't know much, but we do know that he was a test subject long before any of us, when this was still a facility. He was kept hidden for a while, until he rose in the rankings. Back then, He didn't have his wings… But he did have the helmet, so we suspect that something happened to his face. After Diddy was changed, Meta was taken away, and he came back three days later with his wings. I think that Master moved onto transplanting and creating after the animal thing was successful."

Meta looked away. Ike stood in thought and Diddy piped up.

"Say, wasn't there someone else as well?"

Ike nodded slowly. "There was. His name was Captain Falcon, but he was killed in an accident involving the machine…"

Samus started.

"Hang on… are you sure? I never heard of that!"

Zelda nodded. "Of course. Even Master said so. We went to his funeral, remember?"

Falco and Diddy agreed and Nana and Popo nodded a little. Samus furrowed her brow.

"But… who was it that drove me here?" She muttered, but no one seemed to hear her. They went on talking amongst themselves, except Meta, who skulked away into the shadows. Samus went to follow him but was stopped by Ike.

"Hey, where are you going? We were going to invite you to our next game!"

Samus hastily agreed.

...

**Oooh, a bit of a cliffhanger, no? Very mysterious... Just who was the mysterious driver... and what has Samus got herself into?**

**Find out next chapter!**

**See ya soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Heya, I'm back! I decided to get the next chapter up for the... 0 people who reviewed. *Sigh* I hope this makes up for it.**

**In this chapter...**

**Some stuff happens!**

**Some talking happens!**

**And some really tragic and relevent stuff happens! Sorta!**

**Ah, well. And no, I don't have Samus here today. Have fun with your Majestic Chicken Rice, Sammy!**

**Disclaimer: You know the .**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

Samus blew on her gun as Nana and Popo dematerialised.

"Never bring a hammer to a gun fight." She murmured under her breath.

Something crept up behind her and she turned around as a giant metal hand collided with her face. Looking up, it was Ike, carrying his sword in his right hand, his metal hand.

"So that's how he holds it."

Ike rushed for her but she leapt out of the way and stood on his cape. Ike tripped a little and stumbled, but managed to pull free. She shot a few lasers at him, to no avail. As a last resort, she used the whip she bought for 100 credits. It left a mark.

"Seriously?"

Samus felt the sword go right through her and fizzed away.

…...

Samus fizzed right back into existence in the portal. Marth, Nana and Popo were there, but no one else.

"Oh well." She sighed and sat on the couch, exhausted. She heard a yelp and looked behind her to see Diddy fall out ungraciously. He rubbed his head and sighed.

"I lost to Bat boy. Came down on me. I even had Ike pinned down!"

Said man materialised in the portal and ruffled Diddy's hair.

"Too bad, monkey boy."

"One arm."

"Shorty."

"… Big foot!"

For some reason, this was especially funny to the two and they cracked up laughing, just as Snake stepped in.

"What the…"

DOOSH!

Zelda slammed into Snake, causing him to knock into Ike and Diddy, who were still laughing.

"Oops. Sorry." Zelda said sheepishly. Marth shook his head in despair.

Samus clicked her tongue and went back to watching the TV.

Meta flew into a hole in the wall. An unsuspecting Falco ran past. Meta dashed out and slashed at him, making him lose his balance. He fell off the cliff and dematerialised on the ground below.

Samus blinked. That was a very short match. Meta stepped out of the portal and went to wherever he went. Ike ignored that and pulled Samus over to have some food.

Dinner was full of chatter and bustle as people moved around and about. When dinner was finished, Ike turned to Samus.

"So, do you know why you're here?" He asked. Samus shook her head. "Well, Master probably saw potential in you-"

"Potential in me?" Samus exclaimed. Ike hushed her.

"And so he is going to test you, like he did us. Which he probably already has… and then he'll conduct some experiment on you. I heard he's getting ambitious…"

Samus didn't hear the rest. She was shocked. At first she was happy, but then the thought ran through her head that she didn't want to be experimented on. She was scared. However, she didn't show it and instead smiled and nodded. Ike was still talking about 'Master' and 'laboratories' when Samus excused herself from the table to get some fresh air.

On the balcony of the Manor, Samus got a good view of her surroundings. There were no buildings in sight and no roads, either. _There goes the escape plan._ She thought.

Samus noticed something out of the corner of her eye. It was Meta-knight. He was leaning on the rail, his hair being swept by the wind. Samus moved over to him. He said nothing. Samus cleared her throat. Still, he said nothing, nor acknowledged her existence. Samus spoke up.

"What are you doing out here?"

Meta turned abruptly, and said in a cold, metallic voice.

"You shouldn't be here."

Samus blinked. "Why?"

"You don't want to have this done to you." Meta looked back over the railing. "You should take a good look outside while you can." And Meta spoke no more.

Samus looked sceptical. What did Meta mean?

Samus shrugged it off and walked back inside to get some sleep. She was exhausted and she could always think about it tomorrow.

….

Samus woke up and groggily made her way to the kitchen. She couldn't even get excited over the fact that she was in Smash academy. After plonking herself down and eating a bowl of cereal, she made her way to the balcony to think. Meta-knight was there again. This time, though, he noticed her. He didn't say a word. Samus greeted him.

"I'm surprised you aren't running by now."

Samus stopped short. That was abrupt.

"Seriously, what are you talking about?"

Meta lowered his helmeted head.

"Once, I was just like you," He began. "I thought that the Smash pros were great, although back then it was only really Ike, Zelda and Falco. I wanted in, so I came over here one night, and I haven't seen my family since. I don't know if they're still alive."

Samus gave him a sympathetic glance, but he shrugged it off.

"I came here for glory. I got it. And I also got these," He unfolded his wings and shook them. "They made their own wings and tried to weld them on. This is the mask that I would wear to keep in contact with Master. I haven't heard from him in a while."

"Do you ever take that thing off?"

Meta glared at Samus from behind the mask. "Not for anyone else. They… tried to enhance my vision like they did with Snake. It failed."

Samus pleaded with Meta. "Please, show me. I won't tell. Promise!"

Meta-knight ignored her and continued to stare towards the distance. Samus sighed.

"C'mon. Just for me?"

"Do you promise not to tell? Do you promise not to laugh?"

Samus promised.

"Alright then. Just this once." And with that, he took off the mask. Samus gasped at what she saw. His eyes were so deep and meaningful…

Meta replaced the mask. "As a warning." He said.

Samus stood there, dumbfounded. Shaking it off, she let those last words settle in.

_A warning…_

Samus shakily sat down at the table, gripping the sides till her knuckled were white. She was very worried now. Meta had seemed so serious.

Ike broke Samus' thought with a cheery hello. Samus smiled back, but didn't trust herself to say anything.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine." Samus said briskly. Ike cocked his head.

"Do you want a match?"

"No thanks. You'll just beat me again."

Ike laughed out loud and walked towards the portal to start a match.

"I'll leave it open for ya." He said before going in.

Samus stared off into space. She didn't notice when the pros came back from their fight half an hour later. Meta-knight spoke to her about the 'experiments' again, but she didn't listen to that, either.

Finally, Ike came up to her and said,

"I think you can follow us now."

Samus did as she was told. The halls they walked down were white, like a hospital. There was no longer a carpet covering the floor. The marble statues were not there either. The rest of the pros followed at an arm's length pace behind them. The corridor ended at a locked door. Ike knocked on it a few times, and two robots banged the door open. They had two 'arms' and no legs, so they rolled along the ground, which was probably why there wasn't any carpet. They looked around until they found Samus and grasped and arm each. Samus was too stunned to resist until they began to pull her through the door.

"No! Wait! Where are you going! Ike!" She screamed, but Ike stood there looking at her. So did the other pros. They didn't lift a finger to help her.

Samus was still screaming when they pulled her through the door and into the laboratory

….

Samus curled up on the floor of the Waiting Room. The light was a harsh white. The walls were a harsh white. The whole room reeked of torture and pain.

Samus was whimpering when the robots came to get her again. She didn't resist as they pulled her onto a bed.

A light shone in her eyes and she couldn't see. She tried covering her eyes, only to discover that her hands were tied to a table.

"WHAT!"

A little black man came into the room, followed by a tall man with white gloves. The little man had no eyes at all. The taller man kept twitching his left hand.

"Hello there Samus," The tall man said. "I believe you have potential… Unfortunately for you, I have to conduct this… experiment. You found out about our… secret. And now I have to do this to keep us… safe, hm?" The man walked around the bed to stand near Samus' head.

"This… is going to be a little painful, hm?" He said, more to the little man than to Samus. Samus swore at him but he took no notice.

"Lively little thing. Sit still and it won't hurt… much. You brought this on yourself, you know." He added, gesturing to the little man to proceed.

"I am going to try a little… transplant. But not any ordinary transplant. You see… If organic materials work… then why not machinery?" The man leaned a little closer. "And you are perfect for it."

Samus glared at him as he walked away, but heard a noise. It sounded like a blade being sharpened…

Samus looked up to see a guillotine. The little man was positioning it over her right arm.

"Wait, what-" She started, but was stopped when the blade came crashing down on her arm, just below the elbow. Samus cried out in pain as red seeped through the cloth under her arm. Her arm made a plonk as it hit the floor. Samus screamed to wake the dead. The little man injected the stump with a tiny needle and the bleeding stopped. The pain was still there, however.

Samus was biting her lip so hard it bled. Tears rolled down her cheeks as a fiery pain shot up her arm.

_They just sliced off my arm._ She was saying to herself. _Just like that. They sliced off my arm._

Samus cursed herself for being hardy enough not to faint. The tall man came over again with a machine of some sort. It was about his forearms length.

"Oh no," Samus muttered. "Oh no."

The man connected the machine with Samus' right arm, sending a new load of pain through her body. Her brain nearly exploded with the amount of pain. He twisted it a bit, just out of spite, and then injected her with another needle. Samus could almost feel her flesh growing to accept this new material. The machine whirred and that's when Samus realised what it was. It was a cannon. An arm cannon of some sort. Samus would have covered her mouth if she could. The little man ran away as the tall man walked over to her.

"This will cause the metal to become you. I want to see if-" He was cut off by Samus' outburst as she yelled at him again. A blast and a crash cut them both off and one of the man's apprentices in the corner of the room was felled.

The man rose to his full height. "She's dangerous! Put her away!"

The associates rushed to do his command and dragged Samus, kicking and screaming, through a back exit and along the corridors again. Samus was dumped in a bed and left alone.

Samus could not believe what had happened.

"It must be a dream. A dream. Yes, it's all just a dream." She murmured over and over again. Her sleep that night was fitful and dreamless.

...

**Ouch! Sorry Sammy! And sorry to all you readers out there, who didn't get the inside jokes or wasn't fully satisfied with the arm chopping. If you threw up, I'll take it as a compliment. It was just an experiment, remember.**

**What'll happen next chapter? A hint; it includes the other main character. Just a hint.**

**Keep readin', keep reviewin', and give me feedback on how to make this part more gruesome.**

**See ya soon! (Or relatively soon)!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey hey hey! Sozzles for the slow update! I was real busy, and I couldn't think of anything. I have severe writers block, which is why I wrote A Challanger Approaching. Then I hurt my finger so I can't typre very well...**

**In other news, I got deviantART! Still called Awesomsaucelvl8!**

**This chapter is less gruesome, with the introduction of some 'rejects', the failed experiments.**

**Just read and find out!**

**...**

Red stood over the new girl. She was still sleeping. The blanket was pulled right up to her chin.

"Hey, Lucario, over here."

The said person walked over to Red. He was covered in blue fur.

"Another one. I thought he had stopped…"

"Obviously not." Red sighed. "We're in for it when she wakes up."

….

Samus woke to a throbbing headache.

"Where am I…" She started.

"Why, hello there!" Said a voice. Samus jumped and looked around frantically. "I'm just here."

Samus saw a boy about her age standing in front of her. She was on a bed. The room she was in looked like a hostel room. Beds were everywhere. A locked door was to her right and an open one on the far side of the room.

"Where…"

The boy interrupted her. "You're in the room of rejects. The experiments that he didn't want."

Samus widened her eyes. "Experiments… Who's this guy?"

The boy shrugged. "I don't know." He turned back to Samus and held out his hand. "I'm Red. You are…"

"Samus." Samus reached to accept his hand, but stopped when she saw it. She didn't have a right hand.

"AAHHHH!" She screamed, and not in a fangirlish way. Red winced, then drew back in shock, then fully recoiled in horror. Her arm was shining. No, it was a cannon. Samus looked about to scream again when Red covered her mouth violently. Samus widened her eyes as wide as they could go, and then further.

"What the hell happened to you?" Red shook his head in awe. "How… I thought he was never going to try mechanical transplants…"

Samus curled up into the foetal position. Red heard whimpering and when he tilted her head, fresh tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Hey, hey, now don't cry on me. C'mon, why don't we get a nice cup of cocoa?" Red was about to walk off, but Samus didn't follow.

"Come on, I know when I first got here I was traumatised, but trust me, cocoa makes everything seem better." And so Samus trudged along after him.

Red was right. Samus could feel the cocoa warming her up, giving her a sense of peace. Of course, she had to drink one-handed, but she tried not to think about that.

Until she saw the blue thing out of the corner of her eye.

"AAAHHHH MY GOD! What the HELL is that?"

Red cocked an eyebrow.

"That," he said. "Is my friend Lucario."

Said person walked over and stood by Red's shoulder.

_Who would this be?_ Lucario said to Red

"Sam. She's cyborg."

Lucario nodded, as if he knew exactly what Red was talking about. Sam whipped her head back and forth.

"You… you…"

Red gave a little sigh. "Yah, we were sent here around the same time. You see," Red jerked a thumb towards the blue jackal. "He's actually not an experiment. He was captured and researched on."

Samus eyed Lucario suspiciously. Then, she resigned and hung her shoulders.

"Hey, Red." The voice was male, and very croaky, as if it hadn't been used in a long time.

"Oh, hi there, Pit." Red gave a small, plastered smile. Samus gasped.

"Pit! Hang on a tic, aren't you supposed to be one of the smash pros?"

Red turned to him, moving out of the way so Samus could have a good look at him. The boy mentioned was relatively short, with uncut brown hair and sunken eyes. He hung there like a puppet with nobody holding the strings. Small wings that were once white fell from his shoulder blades, his shirt was stained and torn. He looked up at Samus with such a look of sadness and regret that Samus had to avert her eyes.

"I was." He said simply before limping away outside.

Red ogled. "A SMASH PRO!"

Samus almost giggled, were it not for the dark atmosphere all around.

"Of course! I had totally forgotten about him!"

Red sighed and walked outside. Samus asked him where he was going.

"For a little fresh air." He said, and walked through the door and the hall and outside into a big, grassy space. Samus yawned.

"Why don't you go back to bed?" Red ushered her through the kitchen and back to her room. "I'll wake you up in the morning. It's 8 O'clock at night."

Samus sleepily dragged herself into the bed and drew the sheets up to her chin. She completely forgot about where she was, and how she got there…

For now, at least.

….

Red looked up at the moon. It was full and yellow and grinned at him in a most disturbing way.

Red found himself drifting off and caught himself. What was he doing? He needed to do some work. He tip-toed quietly over to the south side of the lawn and knocked on what a passerby would believe was a rock. Until it moved.

"Psst! Wake up!" Red hissed. The rock shuddered and rose. It was a dragon of a reddish colour, the moonlight making it glow and shimmer.

"You heard about the new girl, right?" He asked. The dragon grunted. "Well, He hasn't stopped. She came in just this morning, a cannon on her arm. Yeah, I know, it seems weird. I saw it, though. She blasted this poor guy to bits." Red looked up again. "She definitely has potential." The dragon raised a giant brow.

"I know how the last one turned out. Don't worry. She is hardier. She won't lose her mind…"

A figure came up behind the two, scaring Red witless.

"Warn me next time!" He yelled in surprise.

"I really don't think this plan of yours will work. It hasn't worked once, it won't ever work. You should have just stopped there. Too many people are at risk."

Red frowned. The dragon roared.

"Don't tell me what to do, Cat-boy."

"That's sweet talking from a _Clone_."

Red gritted his teeth and looked away, flushing.

"You don't have to keep reminding me."

The figure jumped away before the dragon could lash out and hit him with a fiery tail.

"I'm just saying. Even the best attempt to get to Master has failed miserably, with at least one death. Just stop now, before we're all killed!"

Red shook his head. "You wouldn't understand. I _have _to get _someone_ out of here…"

The so-dubbed Cat-boy shook his mane of hair.

"I have contacts on the other side, you know. I know exactly what those good for nothing pros," He spat the word as if it were venom. "Are doing. Master has them in the palm of his hand. I even have proof-"

The dragon roared and shook his mighty head, interrupting the conversation.

"Yeah, we should be getting some sleep now." The dragon silently agreed.

"Well, cat-boy, I'll be going."

Cat-boy shrugged and grinned, showing all his pointed teeth.

"A warning."

And as Red slowly walked back inside, the moon seemed to leer down at him. He felt very unprotected and alone.

…

Meta sat on the balcony, his feet hanging over the edge. For some reason, he felt very uneasy…

And as quickly as it had come, the feeling went away.

He swung his legs back over the balcony and opened the glass door, freezing when the feeling of dread came back again.

"It feels like…" He thought, but shook his head. He just had to hope that Sam was doing all right. He hoped that _he_ wasn't going to influence her, or get her caught up in his schemes…

Meta wandered, not for the first time, whether this feeling was friendship. Friendship was supposed to be when you cared for someone else, right?

Meta noticed a tiny envelope on the desk near the door. Inside it was a letter.

TO MK. It said.

I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL AOUT THAT GIRL. SHE IS HERE NOW. AND SHE IS NEVER COMING OUT. IF YOU EVEN THINK OF BREAKING IN HERE, YOU CAN SAY HELLO TO THE WHEEL OF PAIN. Meta winced. He knew all about the Wheel of Pain.

I NEED YOU TO STAND AT THIS EXACT SPOT IN EXACTLY ONE WEEKS TIME. THERE IS SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO TELL YOU.

SINCERELY, X

PS: YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO GET IN HERE ANYWAY. I HAVE IT ALL UNDER CONTROL. IF I DO NOT SEE YOU HERE IN A WEEK, SHE WILL DIE. PAINFULLY. AND SO WILL YOU.

Meta ignored the little voice in his head that told him to go down and break in. After all, that was the warehouse of rejects. Master simply wouldn't allow it, and he didn't want to take the risk. X knew him all too well. The most he could do was watch.

And listen.

And wait.

**...**

**Yay for Meta! A short chapter, but it's suspenseful, no?**

**Who is X? What's wrong with Meta? Who is Cat-boy? (Not his real name)  
>Find out nest chapter! If you're actually reading this...<strong>

**See ya!**


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